Compressible insert

ABSTRACT

Insert (10) is formed from sheet (12) which is slidably held in slit (16) formed in compressible resilient covering (14). Stiffening member (22) is contained in the core of material (14) and has a slit (24) also slidably holding sheet (12). A compressible resilient insert (90) is contained in stiffening member (22). Corner members (26) slidably engage adjacent stiffening member (22) and sheet (12). Insert (90) and covering (14) compressibly hold sheet material (12) in frame (60). Fasteners (30) are used to urge members (22) toward frame (60) thereby further compressing member (14) to close any gaps with frame (60). A quadruple sealing effect is achieved as a result of: 1) the insert (90) between edge (15) and member (22); 2) the clamping action of member (22) on sheet (12); 3) the clamping action of covering (14) on sheet (12); and 4) the compression of covering (14) between frame (60) and member (22).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional applicationsSer. No. 60/011,115 filed on Feb. 5, 1996 and Ser. No. 60/025,246 filedon Sep. 16, 1996 all of which are incorporated by reference as ifcompletely written herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field

This invention relates generally to inserts and more particularly toresilient compressible edge inserts for insertion into frames where theyare held in place and form a seal with the frames as a result ofcompression of a compressible, resilient edge material.

2. Background

"Storm windows" have been utilized for years in an effort to reducedrafts and the substantial loss of heat through typical windows. Suchstorm windows are typically formed from a transparent pane and a framingmember which is then inserted into the window frame and held in placewith appropriate additional framing and/or fasteners. Such storm windowsrequire considerable labor to construct as a result of the exactmeasurement and fitting needed to eliminate drafts and form aninsulating "dead air space" with the original window and thereby avoidheating and cooling loss in summer and winter climates.

Wissinger (U.S. Pat. No. 2,691,193) provides a resilient butnon-compressible sealing strip that engages the edge of a glass panel. Alip portion of the sealing strip curls or curves to engage the windowframe. However, the excessive weight of large glass panels tends tocause excessive curl of the bottom member reducing the effectiveness ofthe seal at the top because no fasteners are used. Further, a flat thinbladed tool must be used to remove the window from the frame withpossible resulting damage to the sealing strip. In addition, variousmolds or extrusion dyes are necessary to provide sealing strips withvarious sizes of slots to receive various thicknesses of glass.

Lux et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,941) also uses a sealing strip, butrather than relying on the curl of the outward edge of the sealingstrip, uses an inflatable tubular passage with a releasable pressureretaining valve to secure the window in the frame. The use of a pump orother pressurized air supply makes installation cumbersome. Failure toproperly seal the connecting valve member to its sealing strip is asource of seal failure and resulting window damage. Loss of air pressureat cold temperatures reduces the seal effectiveness when it is mostneeded.

Bauch (U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,990) is directed to a window insulationsystem that uses opaque insulation board. A compressible strip issecured to the insulation board by using an adhesive to bond the stripto the edge of the board or a plastic tape with a pressure sensitiveadhesive with release paper that is applied to the side of theinsulation panel. In order to preserve the bond between the insulationboard and the compressible strip and reduce mechanical stress on thejoint, a fabric layer is applied over the joint. Because of the inherentweakness of the edge bonding of the compressible strip to the panel, theinvention is limited to lightweight materials such as rigid foamedinsulation board. Because the board is opaque, it must be removed dailyto afford outdoor activity.

In view of the prior art problems, it is an object of this invention toprovide a window insert that eliminates or substantially reduces theneed to adhesively join a sealing strip material to a sheet material.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a sealing materialthat accommodates a wide range of sheet material thicknesses.

It is an object of this invention to provide a stiffening material thatsupports and strengthens thin and flexible sheet materials.

It is an object of this invention to provide a stiffening material thatis light weight and structurally strong.

It is an object of this invention to provide a window insert that iseasy to install and remove.

It is an object of this invention to provide a window insert that isfree of gaps between the insert and the frame in which it is placed.

It is an object of this invention to provide a window insert that allowsfor the contraction and expansion of the sheet material.

It is an object of this invention to provide a window insert that iseasy to assemble.

It is an object of this invention to eliminate the need for closedimensional tolerances in cutting the materials forming the windowinserts.

It is an object of the present invention to reduce the labor costsinvolves with fabricating window inserts.

It is an object of this invention to provide a window insert with adouble air penetration barrier.

It is an object of this invention to provide a window insert that isrelatively permanent.

SUMMARY

In an effort to reduce the labor costs as a result of the precisemeasuring and fitting requirements of previous storm windows and toprovide a window or frame insert that is impervious to drafts andleakage, the present invention features a compressible resilientcovering with a slit into which the perimeter edge, i.e., the edge ofthe exterior perimeter, of a sheet material such as glass or Lucite® isreceived to form a frame insert. The frame insert is held in a windowframe by the compression of the compressible, resilient covering. Theuse of a compressible material with a slit to frame the glass or plasticsheet has the advantage of providing good closure between the edge ofthe plastic sheet and the receiving frame while at the same time holdingthe frame insert in the frame. Because of the resiliency of thecovering, the sheet material can readily expand and contract within theframe thereby avoiding buckling and warping of the sheet.

For larger applications, a stiffening member is placed within thecompressible covering. Although this can be a simple rod or pinstructure randomly inserted into the covering, a hollow tubularstiffening member with a longitudinal slit provides additionaladvantages. By opening the slit slightly to receive the edge of thesheet, a clamping or sealing effect is produced between the sheet andthe stiffening member thereby preventing unwanted air leaks around theedge of the sheet when the opening force is released. The use of atubular (cylindrical) stiffening member gives additional strength as aresult of the uniform geometry while the hollow interior significantlyreduces its weight. Because the sheet is frictionally slidable in theslit, the stiffening member has the further advantage of not restrictingthe expansion and contraction of the sheet under varying temperatureconditions.

Further advantages are gained by using a hollow tubular (cylindrical)compressible resilient covering with a slit to cover the tubularstiffening member. As with the tubular stiffening member, the slit isopening slightly to receive the sheet edge. On release of the openingforce the resilient character of the covering provides a clamping andsealing effect with the sheet. Thus both the stiffening material and thecovering material produce clamping and sealing effect with the sheet, ineffect, a double seal. Moreover, this double seal is achieved whilestill allowing the sheet to slidably move into and out of the slit.

Another feature of this invention is the use of fasteners with theinsert. Typically the fastener is used with the stiffening material andfurther compresses the covering material with the frame into which theframe insert is placed thereby improving the sealing effect andeliminating any gaps that may exist between the frame insert and frame.In addition, the fasteners secure the frame insert in place therebyeliminating any safety concerns especially when large pieces of sheetmaterial are used. Also the use of fasteners allows the invention to beused in sheds and similar structures where the insert may be the onlyglazing that is used or as a hatch to attic and basement crawl spaces.

Another feature of this invention is the use of a slidable stiffeningcorner. Although it is not necessary to use corner stiffeners, relyinginstead on the covering for draft control; the use of mitered or buttjoints or corner stiffeners substantially reduces corner air leakage.Although the corners can be rigidly joined, a slidable corner hassignificant advantages in that it allows the stiffer frame to beexpanded by the use of fasteners to further reduce any gaps between theframe insert and the frame. The use of a slidable corner maintains thecovering compression between the frame insert and the frame affordedthrough the use of fasteners while providing corner protection therebyavoiding damage to the corners of the sheet material as well as nickingand gouging of the frame during frame insert installation.

Although the stiffening corners may be slidably inserted into theadjacent stiffening members, that is, the corners may have a smallerdiameter than the adjacent stiffening members, or the stiffening cornersmay slidably receive the adjacent stiffening members, that is, thecorners have a larger diameter than the adjacent stiffening members; itis desirable that both the adjacent stiffening members and the cornershave the same diameter in order to eliminate any gaps with the frame. Tothis end, this invention features the use of a coupling or splicer thatis inserted into both the adjacent stiffening members and the stiffeningcorner which has the advantage of allowing the use of both corner andedge stiffeners that have the same outside diameter which in turn hasthe advantage of reducing substantially any gaps between the frameinsert and the frame.

Another feature of this invention is the use of a stiffener insertwithin the hollow core of the stiffening members and stiffening corners.Although this invention contemplates the use of a non-compressibleinsert which has the advantage of sealing the sheet edge against thestiffener, the feature of a compressible resilient insert has thefurther advantage of providing an expansive pressure against thestiffener thereby further compressing the compressible covering betweenthe frame insert and frame. A compressible insert also has the advantageof maintaining the slidable movement of the sheet material into and outof the covering and stiffening members.

When all of these features are used in combination, a quadruply sealedframe inset is obtained with the sheet edge sealed with the stiffener bymeans of the compressible insert, the sheet is doubly sealed with thestiffener and cover as a result of the resilient clamping force of bothof these components, and the frame insert is sealed with the frame as aresult of the compression of the covering between and frame insert andthe frame as a result of the oversized perimeter of the combined sheetand covering with this seal being further enhanced through the use offasteners that further compress the covering between the frame insertand the frame. Moreover even though the frame insert is quadruply sealedin the frame, all of these combined features still allow the sheet toexpand and contract as a result of large temperature changes and therebyavoid the buckling and warping common with plastic sheet materials thatare used with more unforgiving framing methods. In addition, theslidable features of this invention allow for wide tolerances in sizingand cutting of the various components of the invention.

As a further feature of this invention an insertion and removal deviceis provided to easily and effectively insert and remove the frame insertfrom the frame. Typically this is a handle or knob that is attachedeither to the sheet or preferably to the stiffening member.

Another feature of this invention is that the various features can beselectively used with one another. Thus the stiffening member andslidable stiffening corners may be used with the stiffening insert andfasteners when draft control is not particularly important. Stiffeningmembers and a compressible resilient covering may be used withoutstiffening corner members or joints when only a moderate amount of draftcontrol is required. A compressible stiffening member insert andslidable corners along with fasteners are added when quadruply sealeddraft control is required.

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent from the following disclosure in which one or morepreferred embodiments of the invention are described in detail andillustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is contemplated thatvariations in procedures, structural features and arrangement of partsmay appear to a person skilled in the art without departing from thescope of or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial cut-away perspective view that illustrates a windowframe and window insert assembly. The window insert includes alongitudinally slitted stiffening member and longitudinally slittedcompressible resilient outer material.

FIG. 2 is an enlargement of portion 2 of FIG. 1 showing in detail thecompressible resilient covering with a longitudinal slit for receivingthe window sheet material and a stiffening member also formed with alongitudinal slit to receive the sheet material.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view through a window frame andinsert assembly that includes a double-hung window as well as the frameinsert including a stiffening member, resilient compressible outermaterial, sheet material and a fastener for further securing the windowinsert to the frame and further compressing the compressible resilientcovering against the frame.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet material frictionally heldin moveable (slidable) contact with both the outer compressibleresilient covering and the stiffening member.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet material frictionally heldin moveable (slidable) contact with the stiffening member while thecompressible resilient covering does not contact the sheet material.

FIG. 6 is a partial cut-away perspective cross-sectional view of awindow insert showing the arrangement of sheet material, outercompressible resilient covering, stiffening member, and compressibleresilient stiffening member insert.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a longitudinally slitted outerresilient compressible material and a longitudinally slitted stiffeningmember with a tubular compressible resilient stiffening member insertcontained substantially within the interior core of the stiffeningmember and showing the sealing effect between the sheet material and theinsert and the compression effect exerted on the outer resilientmaterial and the window frame.

FIG. 8 is a partially cut-away plan view of a window insert in which aresilient compressible material with a longitudinal slit is placedaround the edge of the sheet material with a butt-joint at one cornerand a wrapping of the resilient compressible material around the othercorners.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along 9--9 of FIG. 8 toshow further the compressible resilient covering with the longitudinalslit into which the edge of the sheet material is received.

FIG. 10 is a partial plan view of a window insert that illustrates theuse of mitered corners for the compressible resilient covering.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a window insert with the outer compressibleresilient covering partially removed to show stiffening member sectionsplaced over a portion of the edge of each side of a rectangular piece ofsheet material and the compressible resilient covering being cut to forma mitered corner.

FIG. 12 is a partial plan view of a window insert with the outerresilient compressible material partially removed to show the use of amitered corner for adjacent stiffening member sections.

FIG. 13 is a partial plan view of a window insert with the outerresilient compressible material partially removed to illustrates the useof a corner butt-joint for adjacent stiffening member sections.

FIG. 14 is a partial plan view of a window insert showing a slittedcorner member that receives the corner of the sheet material and whoseopposite ends are received into the adjacent stiffening member sectionsthat have been received onto the perimeter edge of the sheet material.

FIG. 15 is a partial plan view of a window insert that illustrates acorner member that receives the ends of the adjacent stiffening membersections that have been received onto the perimeter edge of the sheetmaterial.

FIG. 16 is a partial plan view of a window insert that shows a slittedcorner member that is slidably connected to adjacent stiffening membersections with interior couplings.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of a slitted corner member and interior couplingformed as an integral unit.

In describing the preferred embodiments of the invention which areillustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is resorted to for thesake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention belimited to the specific terms so selected and it is to be understoodthat each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operatein a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been hereinillustrated, it is understood that various changes and modifications inthe illustrated and described structure can be affected withoutdeparture from the basic principles that underlie the invention. Changesand modifications of this type are therefore deemed to be circumscribedby the spirit and scope of the invention except as the same may benecessarily modified by the appended claims or reasonable equivalentsthereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now in detail to the drawings, numeral 50 refers to a frameand frame insert assembly (FIG. 1). The frame and frame insert assembly50 includes a frame 60 having an interior frame perimeter 62a, 62b, 62c,and 62d and a frame insert 10. The frame insert 10 comprises variousselected combinations of sheet 12 (FIGS. 1-16), an outer compressibleresilient covering 14 (FIGS. 1-14), stiffening member 22 (FIGS. 1-7 and11-16), corner stiffening member 26 (FIGS. 14-17), coupling 28 (FIG.16), insert 90 (FIGS. 6 and 7), fastener 30 (FIG. 3), and insert andremoval device 95 (FIG. 1).

Sheet 12 is typically transparent although translucent and even opaquesheet material can be used. Typical transparent sheet material 12includes, but are not limited to, glass and plastics with plastic sheetmaterials such as glazing polyacrylics, i.e., Lucite® and Plexiglass®,and polycarbonates preferred in view of their light weight, safety, andlow heat loss. Metals and plant-based sheet materials such as wood mayalso be used but are less preferred because of their typical opacity.Typically a plastic sheet material will range from about 1 to about 10mm in thickness with thicknesses of 0.093 inches (2.4 mm) and 0.177inches (4.5 mm) being commonly available. Typically the sheet material12 is of rectangular shape with a perimeter edge 15 comprising four edgesections and four corners but other shapes including other polygons,circles, ovals, and other combinations of straight and curved edges arecontemplated by this invention. Sheet material 12 is formed, typicallyby cutting, to have an exterior edge 15 that is smaller than the frameperimeter 62a-d.

The compressible resilient covering 14 is a rubber, plastic or likematerial in a flexible, resilient, and compressible sponge-like form.One suitable material for use with this invention is a foamed plasticsuch as is used to prevent moisture condensation on cold water pipes,e.g., closed-cell polyethylene (PE) pipe covering made by W. J. Dennisand Company (Elgin, Ill.). The compressible resilient covering 14 isused in lengths sufficient to extend around the exterior perimeter edgeof the sheet material 12, either in sections or as a single piece. Thecross-section of the compressible resilient covering 14 can be of anyshape with a circular shape being typical. When the resilient material14 has a solid (filled) circular cross-section (FIG. 9), the resilientmaterial 14 takes on the shape of a solid cylinder or rod. However oftenit is desirable to have a hollow opening formed in the interior of theresilient material 14 that extends the length of the material. When thisopening or core interior is cylindrical in shape it typically affords aresilient material 14 with an annular cross-section, that is, thecompressible resilient covering is in tubular form, i.e., in the shapeof an annular cylinder.

The compressible resilient covering 14 should have sufficient resiliencyand compressibility to return to its original shape after theapplication of both bending and compression forces. Since thecompressible resilient covering 14 has a longitudinal slit 16 that isopened to receive the perimeter edge 15 of sheet material 12, in manyinstances it is desirable that the compressible resilient covering 14have sufficient resiliency to close sufficiently to frictionally engageand hold the sheet material 12 so that sheet material 12 is slidablymoveable into and out of longitudinal slit 16. Such frictionalengagement and slidable movement substantially reduce air seepage at thepoint of contact between the sheet material 12 and the compressibleresilient covering 14 while allowing the sheet material edge 15 to moveinto and out of slit 16 during normal expansion and contraction of sheetmaterial 12. Such sheet material movement also allows the compressibleresilient covering 14 to be compressed against the receiving frameperimeter 62a-d to further reduce air seepage between the compressibleresilient covering 14 and frame 60. For some applications such as whenthe resilient material 14 is used with a sheet material 12 of complexperimeter edge 15, especially sheet material geometries with perimeteredge curves, the compressible resilient covering 14 should havesufficient flexibility to conform to the sheet material edge 15. As seenin FIGS. 8 and 10, the compressible resilient covering 14 may be used asa single length in which case it is wrapped around the corners of thesheet material 12 or in sections and the ends 14a,b cut to form a miterjoint or end edge 14c and end 14d used to form a butt joint.

When a solid compressible resilient covering is used as shown in FIG. 9,a slit 16 extends only partially into the solid compressible resilientcovering 14, generally in a direction typically into and toward thecenter of the compressible resilient covering 14, that is, toward thecenter line of the material. In the case of a cylinder or rod-shapedmaterial, slit 16 extends toward the longitudinal axis of resilientmaterial 14. Considerable latitude is allowed in the direction of theslit with respect to the center line or axis of the resilient materialwith the only requirement being that the slit be coextensive, that is,in the same general length-wise direction as the longitudinal orlengthwise center-line of the compressible resilient covering 14. Slit16 is not required to pass toward or through the centerline orlongitudinal axis of the resilient material 14 but may pass to eitherside of them. Thus for a circular cross section, slit 16 can extend intothe cylindrical solid in a radial direction or the slit can extend intothe solid in a direction of a chord of the circle. When compressibleresilient covering 14 is tubular in shape, i.e., in the shape of anannular cylinder, the longitudinal slit 16 passes completely through thetube or annular cylinder wall, that is, through both the interior andexterior tube surfaces. The slit also passes from one end of thecylinder to the other in a direction coextensive with the longitudinalcylinder axis.

The frame insert 10 comprises the compressible resilient covering 14 andsheet material 12 with perimeter 15 received in slit 16 and has acombined outer perimeter 17 that is larger than the interior perimeter62a-d of frame 60. Inserting frame insert 10 into frame 60 causescompression of compressible resilient covering 14 and holds frame insert10 in place as a result of the compressed resilient material.

Stiffening members 22 are typically made from rigid plastic pipe such aspolyvinyl chloride (PVC) or other plastic pipe such as is used for waterservice lines into which a slit 24 is cut to receive sheet material 12.Slit 24 is of a width slightly less than the thickness of the sheetmaterial 12 to frictionally engage and hold sheet material 12 so thatthe edge 15 of sheet material 12 is slidably moveable in and out oflongitudinal slit 24. Such frictional engagement and slidable movementsubstantially reduce air seepage at the point of contact between thesheet material 12 and the stiffening member 22 while allowing the sheetmaterial edge 15 to move into and out of slit 24 during normal expansionand contraction of sheet material 12. Such sheet material movement alsoallows the stiffening member 22 to be urged against the receiving frameperimeter 62a-d by means of a suitable fastener 30 (FIG. 3) therebycompressing the compressible resilient covering 14 between thestiffening member 22 and frame member 62. Although a tubular stiffeningmember 22 is typically used, that is, a stiffening member 22 in the formof an annular cylinder with a hollow interior, stiffening member 22 canalso be of solid construction rather than of tubular material and can beformed in a wide variety of cross-sectional shapes other than thecircular shape shown in the figures.

While the stiffening member 22 is typically plastic, it is to berealized that other materials such as metal or wood may also be used.Stiffening member 22 serves to provide rigidity to the sheet material12, especially when the sheet material is especially thin or when largeareas of sheet material 12 are used. The stiffening member 22 typicallyis inserted or otherwise formed substantially within the compressiblematerial 14, it being realized that the stiffening member 22 may be oneor more pins, rods and the like that are inserted into the compressibleresilient covering along each edge 15 of the sheet material 12. As usedhere, the term "a stiffening member 22 substantially contained withinthe compressible resilient material 14" means that although stiffeningmember 22 is typically contained within the covering material 14 it canextend beyond the end of covering 14 or into the covering slit 16 as,for example, in FIG. 5. Typically when a hollow tubular compressibleresilient cover 14 is used, the stiffening member 22 conforms in sizeand shape to the hollow core of cover 14.

A hollow plastic tubular material is preferred as the stiffening member22 for this invention because of its light weight, the strength affordedby a tubular (circular or annular) geometry, and its relatively low heatloss properties. For sheet material 12 with a curved edge 15, it isdesirable to use a stiffening member 22 with sufficient flexibility toconform to the sheet material edge curvature. When the sheet material 12has straight edge sections as is typical with rectangular sheet materialconfigurations, the stiffening member 22 is formed or cut into sections.For a rectangular sheet material, the stiffening member is typically cutinto four stiffening section. When a tubular stiffening member 22 isused with a longitudinal slit 24, each of the stiffening member sectionsreceives an edge section of sheet material 12.

Referring to FIGS. 14-17, stiffening corner members 26 are typicallyformed from right-angled tubular material with an inner radius slit 27for receiving a corner of sheet material 12. Adjacent stiffening membersections 22 typically slidably engage corner member 26. As shown in FIG.14, corner member 26 is inserted into and slidably engages the hollowcore of stiffening members 22. In FIG. 15, stiffening member sections 22are inserted into and slidably engage the hollow core of corner member26. In both cases a size mismatch occurs between the stiffening membersection 22 and the stiffening corner member 26. In FIG. 14, thestiffening corner member 26 has a smaller diameter than stiffeningmember sections 22 while in FIG. 15, the stiffening corner member 26 hasa larger diameter than stiffening member section 22. To avoid possiblegaps between the frame insert 10 and the frame 60 as a result of thediameter mismatch between the stiffening corner member 26 and theadjacent stiffening member section 22, it is desirable to have thediameters of these two components be substantially equal. To achievethis end, a coupling (splicer) 28 is used that is inserted into thehollow core of the adjacent stiffening member section 22 and thestiffening corner member 28 (FIG. 16). Preferably at least one end ofthe coupling 28, either the first end 28a or the second end 28b shouldslidably engage the stiffening corner member 26 or the interior of theadjacent stiffening member section 22, respectively. Typically one ofthe ends of the coupling is rigidly attached to the adjacent component,either the stiffening corner member 26 or the stiffening member section22, typically by means of a force fit or with the use of an appropriateadhesive. To eliminate the use of a separate coupling 28 and associatedfitting and/or gluing and as shown in FIG. 17, the corner member may befabricated as a single piece.

Although it is not necessary that the stiffening corner member slidablyengage the adjacent stiffening member sections 22, such an arrangementis preferable in that it provides a rigid perimeter completely about theperimeter 15 of the sheet material while allowing this rigid frame toexpand under the action of a fastener 30 that urges the compressibleresilient covering 14 into compression between the window insert 10 andthe frame perimeter 62a-d. While less preferred, it is to be realizedthat the corner member 26 and the adjacent member sections 22 may berigidly joined to each other or alternatively a gap may be left betweenthese two components. Finally it is noted that is not necessary to usestiffening corner member 26. The corners of the sheet material 12 can beleft without a stiffening member 22 (FIG. 11) or the stiffening membersections 22 can be cut to form a mitered joint (FIG. 12) or a butt joint(FIG. 13).

Fasteners such as screw 30 shown in FIG. 3 are used to further securethe frame insert 10 to the frame 60. For small frame inserts 10, theforce of the compression of the compressible resilient covering is oftensufficient to hold and maintain the frame insert 10 in place within theframe 60. However, with large size windows, it is often desirable to usea fastener 30 to further secure the frame insert 10 within frame 60.When a plastic sheet material is used without a stiffening member 22, anaperture may be drilled through the sheet material and an appropriatefastener 30 used to secure the sheet material to frame 60. Typicallywhen a stiffening member 22 is used, apertures 32 and 34 are drilled inthe stiffening member 22 and fastener 30 used to secure the stiffeningmember 22 to the frame. This arrangement allows for further compressionof the compressible resilient covering 14 to insure complete contactwith frame 60. Such additional compression is facilitated by theslidable fit of the sheet material 12 in the slit 24 of the stiffeningmaterial and the slidable fit of the corner stiffening members 26 withadjacent stiffening members 22. Although screws are the typicalfasteners of choice, nails, clips, clamps and like devices that urge thecompressible resilient covering into further compression arecontemplated by the term fastener.

Insertion and removal devices such as handles 95 (FIG. 1), knobs and thelike that assist in inserting and removing the frame insert 10 from theframe can be used. Such devices may be attached to the sheet material 12directly when a stiffening member 22 is not used. However, typicallythey are attached to stiffening member 22 using conventional fasteningtechniques.

To further improve the positioning and seal of sheet material 12, aninsert 90 is inserted into the interior hollow core stiffening member 22(FIGS. 6 and 7). The insert 90 is a rubber, plastic or like materialtypically in a flexible, resilient, and compressible sponge-like form.One suitable material for use with this invention is a foamed plastic insolid cylindrical form such as that which is used in caulkingapplications, e.g., CaulkSav-R® (W. J. Dennis and Company; Elgin, Ill.).Typically the insert 90 conforms in size and shape to the interiorhollow core of stiffening member 22.

As used herein, the phrase that "insert 90 is contained at leastsubstantially within a hollow stiffening member 22" means that itconforms generally to the interior hollow of stiffening member 22 butcan also extend beyond the ends of stiffening member section 22 tocontact substantially the entire perimeter 15 of sheet material 12.Insert 90 may also extend into the stiffening corner members 26 andcoupling 28 when such components are used and can extend into the slitof stiffening member 22. Insert 90 serves to secure and position thetransparent sheet material 12 within the framing provided by stiffeningmember 22 and forms a seal between sheet material 12 and the interiorwall of the hollow stiffening member 22. When a resilient material isused as the insert, the resiliency of the insert material 90 tends topush the hollow stiffening member 22 outward tending to compress furtherthe resilient member 14 against the framing members 62 and furtherimprove the seal between the framing members 62 and stiffening member22.

When a compressible resilient insert 90 is used with a hollow tubularstiffening member 22 with a slit 24 that affords slidable frictionalcontact of stiffening member 22 with sheet material 12 and a hollowcompressible, resilient material 14 with slit 16 that affords slidablefrictional contact of compressible resilient covering 14 with sheetmaterial 12, a quadruple sealing effect is achieved. Sheet material 12is sealed against the interior wall of stiffening member 22 by means ofthe compressible resilient insert 90; sheet material 12 is sealedagainst stiffening member 22 as a result of the clamping action exertedby the edges of the stiffening member 22 formed by slit 24 on sheetmaterial 12; sheet material 12 is sealed against stiffening member 22 asa result of the clamping action exerted by the edges of the compressibleresilient covering 14 formed by slit 16 on sheet material 12; and theouter surface of stiffening member 22 is sealed against frame 60 as aresult of the outward force extended by compressible resilient insert 90against member 22 that compresses resilient material 14 betweenstiffening material 22 and frame 60. Moreover, this quadruple sealingeffect is maintained while the sheet material 12 slidably moves in andout of the compressible resilient covering 14 and the stiffening member22 as sheet 12 contracts and expands under changing temperatureconditions.

Selected components are assembled for use as frame insert kit with theframe insert kit containing 1) a length of the outer compressibleresilient covering 14, with slit 16 formed in it for receiving the edgeof sheet 12, 2) a length of the hollow tubular stiffening member 22 withslit 24 formed in it also for receiving the edge of sheet 12; 3) atubular insert 90, typically of compressible resilient material forinsertion into stiffening member 22, and 4) corner stiffening memberswith each corner stiffening member 26 having a radial slit 27 forreceiving a corner of sheet 12. Typically the stiffening member 22 andthe corner stiffening member 26 have the same outside diameter andslidably engage each other as discussed above. The frame insert kit canalso include insertion or removal devices such as knobs or handles 95.

As a further illustration of the embodiments of this invention, FIG. 1shows sheet material 12 formed to have an exterior perimeter 15 that issmaller than the interior perimeter 62 a, b, c, d of the frame 60 intowhich it is inserted. As seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, the compressibleresilient covering 14 is placed over the edge 15 of sheet material 12,that is, slit 16 receives the edge 15 of the sheet material. Theresulting combined perimeter 17 of the compressible resilient covering14 with the edge 15 of the sheet material received into slit 16 isgreater than the interior perimeter 62 a, b, c, d, of frame 60. As shownmore fully in FIG. 3, the window frame 60 consists of framing members62, 66, 68, and 70 with the member 62 having edge 62a. In typicalconstruction well known in the art, the window frame 60 typically hasone or more windows 72 and 74 enclosed in suitable framing members 76and 78. The frame insert 10 with sheet material 12 and compressibleresilient covering 14 is placed into the frame by compression of thecompressible resilient covering 14 to form a compressed resilientmaterial. The expansion force in the compressed resilient material holdsthe frame insert 10 in frame 60 to form an insert and frame assembly.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the edge 15 ofsheet material 12 is inserted into slit 16 of solid compressibleresilient covering 14. Three of the corners are formed simply bywrapping cover 14 around the corners. The fourth corner is formed bycutting the ends of covering 14 so that edge 14c of one end meet theother end 14d to form a butt-joint. As seen in FIG. 10, the compressibleresilient covering 14 can be cut into sections with adjacent ends 14aand 14b of adjacent sections trimmed to afford a mitered corner.

As shown in FIG. 1 and more fully in detail in FIG. 2 and incross-section in FIGS. 3-5, a stiffening member 22 may be employed withthe compressible resilient cover material 14.

The stiffening member 22 has a slit 24 for receiving the edge 15 ofsheet material 12 and is enclosed by compressible resilient covering 14that has a slit 16 for also receiving the edge 15 of sheet 12. When astiffening member 22 is used, it is not necessary that the resilientmaterial 14 contact the sheet 12 (FIG. 5), although contact is preferredfor insulating purposes. In some instances, it may be desirable toattach the resilient covering 14 to the stiffening member with anadhesive. Such attachment can afford easy fabrication when a largenumber of units are needed and cutting tools for cutting both thecompressible resilient covering 14 and the stiffening member 22simultaneously are available. However such attachment is not preferredsince subsequent replacement of the resilient covering 14 becomes moredifficult and the use of solvents and adhesives raises environmental andtoxicological concerns.

Typically the slit 16 of covering 14 and the slit 24 of stiffeningmember 22 are spread apart slightly to receive the edge 15 of sheet 12.The resiliency of these two components allows the slit to close andengage the sheet 12 in a slidable frictional contact which allows sheet12 to move back and forth in slits 16 and 24 as indicated by the arrowin FIG. 4. Although it is not necessary that the covering 14 orstiffening member 22 engage sheet 12, it is preferable that at least oneof the two engage sheet 12 and most preferably that both engage sheet12. The engagement of the stiffening member 22 only is illustrated inFIG. 5 where covering 14 partially covers the stiffening member 22 anddoes not engage sheet 12. Such stiffening member 22 engagement orcovering 14 engagement or both minimizes air leakage about the perimeter15 of sheet 12. The clamping of sheet 12 allows for the slidablefrictional contact and movement of sheet 12 into and out of thesecomponents thereby allowing for the thermal contraction and expansion ofsheet 12 under varying temperature conditions. Overall such aconfiguration minimizes drafts, affords a tight seal with the windowframe 62, and allows for expansion and contraction of the sheet material12 within the slits 16 and 24.

One of the further advantages of the slidable engagement of thestiffening member 22 and/or compressible resident material 14 with sheet12 is that it obviates the need for close tolerances when cutting thesheet 12. Because the sheet material slides in slit 16 of thecompressible resilient covering 14 and/or in slit 24 of the stiffeningmembers, tolerances of one-half inch (13 mm) or more in the length andwidth of sheet 12 can be accommodated. In addition, sheets 12 with alarge coefficients of thermal expansion may be used since the slidableaction of the sheet 12 in slits 16 and/or 24 allows for both contractionand expansion of the sheet 12. FIGS. 11-13 illustrate the use ofstiffening members 22 in various configurations. FIG. 11 shows the useof stiffening member sections with each section engaging a separate sideof the perimeter 15 of sheet 12. In this configuration each stiffeningmember section does not extend to the corner of sheet 12. The barecorners are covered with compressible resilient covering 14 using amitered joint. In FIG. 12, the stiffening member sections fully coverthe perimeter edge 15 of each side and adjacent stiffening membersections are cut at their ends to form a mitered joint. Similarly, inFIG. 13 the stiffening member sections also fully cover the perimeteredge of each side of the sheet but adjacent stiffening sections are cutat their ends to form a butt joint in which butt edge 22c is adjacent tobutt end 22d.

FIGS. 14-17 illustrate various embodiments of stiffening corner member26. Although adjacent sections of stiffening member 22 can be rigidlyjoined using various types of joints, e.g., FIGS. 12-13, or through theuse of a corner piece 26 while still allowing the sheet 12 to expand andcontract in slits 16 and 24, it is desirable to provide furtherflexibility to the frame inset 10 by using a stiffening member designthat allows the perimeter of the stiffening member 22 to also expand andcontract. This is achieved through the use of a slidable stiffeningcorner piece 26. In FIG. 14, an inner corner member 26a is used thatslidably engages the interior of stiffening member 22, that is, corner26a has a sufficiently small diameter so that it can be slidablyinserted into the hollow interior of stiffening member 22. In FIG. 15,the opposite is true. Here corner 26b has a sufficiently large interiordiameter to allow stiffening member 22 to be slidably inserted into itshollow interior. Although both of these embodiments allow the over allperimeter of the stiffening member frame to expand and contract, themismatch in diameters between the stiffening member 22 and the cornermember 26 tends to create a gap at either the corner (FIG. 14) or alongthe stiffening member 22 (FIG. 15) when the frame insert 10 is placedinto frame 60. As seen in FIG. 16, this mismatch can be overcome byusing a coupling (splicer) 28 with a corner 26c and a stiffening member22 with substantially the same outside diameter. One end of the splicer28a is inserted into the stiffening member 22 and the other end 28b isinserted into corner 26c. Although both the stiffening member 22 andcorner 26c can slidably engage coupling 26c, to avoid loss of couplinginto the interior of stiffening member 22, the coupling is preferablyrigidly attached to either the corner member 26c or the stiffeningmember 22. To further simplify this construction, the coupling 22 andcorner 26c of FIG. 16 can be formed as a single piece (FIG. 17).Although this invention contemplates the use of sections of stiffeningmember 22 and corner members 26 to form a frame that can be installeddirectly into frame 60 and held in place using fasteners 30, it ispreferable to use a resilient compressible covering 14 on the exteriorof stiffening member 22 and corner 26 in order to fill small gaps thatare likely to exist between the stiffening members and the frame.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the sealing ability of the frame insert canbe further improved by the use of insert 90. Although almost any tubularshaped insert may be used, it is preferable to use a resilientcompressible material for the insert. A compressible insert provides aseal for the edge 15 of panel 12 with the stiffening member 22 andcorner 26 that allows for the compression and expansion of sheet 12under varying temperature conditions. In its compressed state, insert 90exerts an outward force on stiffening member 22 and corner 26 whichtends to expand the stiffening member frame and further compress theresilient covering 14 against frame 62.

As shown further in FIG. 3, a fastener 30 such as screw is received insuitable apertures 32 and 34 formed in stiffening member 22. Aperture 32may be counter sunk to provide a better fit between resilient member 14and stiffening member 22. The fastener 30 passes through the walls ofstiffening member 22 and into frame member 62. The fastener 30 furtherholds the frame insert in place and further assists in reducing leakageabout the frame insert by further compressing the resilient covering 14against the frame member 62 and window member 78. Fasteners 30 literallyexpand the stiffening member frame by forcing the stiffening members 22and associated covering 14 outward as a result of their slidablerelation with sheet material 12. Such movement of the compressibleresilient covering 14 and the stiffening members 22 allows thecompressible resilient covering 14 to be further compressed against thewindow frame members 62 to afford a tight, draft-free fit.

As seen in FIG. 1, a device 95 for inserting and removing frame inset 10can be attached with directly to the sheet 12, especially when sheet 12is a plastic or more preferably to the stiffening member 22. Attachmentis accomplished by conventional fastening techniques including the useof adhesives or fasteners such as screws or nuts and bolts.

It will be realized by those skilled in the art that this invention isusable with a wide variety of window frames 60 and that the insert 10can be used on either the outside or inside of the window as found to beappropriate. Typically, stiffening members 22 and fastening members suchas screws 30 are used with larger windows. For curved windows, variouscombinations of resilient material 14 alone and/or in combination withstiffening members 22 may be used. For example, a window curved at thetop would employ resilient material 14 only for the top portion whileusing stiffening members 22 along the edges and bottom. In someapplications such as barns and utility sheds, the insert 10 can serve asthe only window especially if held in place with fastener 30. Finally itis to be realized that this improved method of securing and sealingagainst drafts can be adapted for securing panels of metal, plywood, andthe like whenever it is desirable to provide a readily removable closurefor a hatch of other opening.

It is possible that changes in configurations to other than those showncould be used but that which is shown if preferred and typical. It istherefore understood that although the present invention has beenspecifically disclosed with preferred embodiments and examples,modifications to the design concerning sizing, shape, and selection ofcomponents will be apparent to those skilled in the art and suchmodifications and variations are considered to be equivalent to andwithin the scope of the disclosed invention and the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A frame and frame insert assembly comprising incombination:a) a frame with an interior perimeter; b) a frame insert,said frame insert comprising1) sheet material having an outer edge withan exterior perimeter smaller than said interior perimeter of saidframe; 2) a compressible resilient covering having a slit formedtherein, said slit receiving said edge of said sheet material; 3) astiffening member substantially contained within said compressibleresilient covering and wherein said stiffening member is an annularcylinder with a hollow interior; 4) a combined perimeter of saidcompressible resilient covering and said received edge of said sheetmaterial being larger than said interior perimeter of said frame; and 5)said received compressible resilient covering and said sheet materialbeing held in said frame as a result of compression of said compressibleresilient covering between said frame and said frame insert.
 2. Theframe and frame insert assembly according to claim 1 wherein said sheetmaterial is translucent.
 3. The frame and frame insert assemblyaccording to claim 1 wherein said sheet material is transparent.
 4. Theframe and frame insert assembly according to claim 3 wherein saidtransparent sheet material is glass.
 5. The frame and frame insertassembly according to claim 3 wherein said transparent sheet material isplastic.
 6. The frame and frame insert assembly according to claim 1further comprising an insertion and removal device attached to saidframe insert for inserting and removing said frame insert from saidframe.
 7. The frame and frame insert assembly according to claim 1further comprising at least one fastener to secure said frame insert tosaid frame.
 8. The frame and frame insert assembly according to claim 1wherein said compressible resilient covering is formed in the shape of acovering cylinder.
 9. The frame and frame insert assembly according toclaim 8 wherein compressible material extends substantially throughoutsaid covering cylinder.
 10. The frame and frame insert assemblyaccording to claim 9 wherein said slit extends partially into saidcompressible material in a direction coextensive with a longitudinalaxis of said covering cylinder.
 11. The frame and frame insert assemblyaccording to claim 8 wherein said compressible resilient covering is inthe form of an annular covering cylinder with a hollow interior.
 12. Theframe and frame insert assembly according to claim 1 wherein said slitextends through a wall of said annular covering cylinder in a directioncoextensive with a longitudinal axis of said annular covering cylinder.13. The frame and frame insert assembly according to claim 1 whereinsaid sheet material is frictionally held in moveable contact with saidcompressible resilient covering.
 14. The frame and frame insert assemblyaccording to claim 1 wherein said sheet material is of rectangular shapewith four corners.
 15. The frame and frame insert assembly according toclaim 14 wherein said compressible resilient covering is wrapped aroundat least one of said corners.
 16. The frame and frame insert assemblyaccording to claim 14 wherein said compressible resilient covering iscut to form a butt joint.
 17. The frame and frame insert assemblyaccording to claim 14 wherein said compressible resilient covering iscut to form a mitered joint.
 18. The frame and frame insert assemblyaccording to claim 1 further comprising an insertion and removal deviceattached to said stiffening member for inserting and removing said frameinsert from said frame.
 19. The frame and frame insert assemblyaccording to claim 1 further comprising at least one fastener to securesaid stiffening member to said frame.
 20. The frame and frame insertassembly according to claim 1 with said stiffening member having alongitudinal slit formed therein and said stiffening member slitreceiving said edge of said sheet material.
 21. The frame and frameinsert assembly according to claim 20 with said sheet materialfrictionally held in moveable contact with said stiffening member. 22.The frame and frame insert assembly according to claim 20 wherein saidsheet material is of rectangular shape with four edge sections and saidstiffening member comprises four stiffening sections with eachstiffening section receiving an edge section of said sheet material. 23.The frame and frame insert assembly according to claim 22 whereinadjacent stiffening sections are joined at a corner with a butt joint.24. The frame and frame insert assembly according to claim 22 whereinadjacent stiffening sections are joined at a corner with a miteredjoint.
 25. The frame and frame insert assembly according to claim 22further comprising a hollow corner stiffening member, said cornerstiffening member having a slit formed therein for receiving a corner ofsaid sheet material.
 26. The frame and frame insert assembly accordingto claim 25 wherein said hollow corner stiffening member slidablyengages adjacent sections of said stiffening member.
 27. The frame andframe insert assembly according to claim 26 further comprising acoupling having a first end and a second end with said first endreceived into an interior of said corner stiffening member and saidsecond end received into an interior of said stiffening member section.28. The frame and frame insert assembly according to claim 27 whereinsaid outside diameter of said corner stiffening member and said outsidediameter of said stiffening member section are substantially equal. 29.The frame and frame insert assembly according to claim 28 wherein saidcorner stiffening member and said coupling are formed as a single piece.30. The frame and frame insert assembly according to claim 1 furthercomprising an insert substantially contained within said hollow interiorof said stiffening member.
 31. The frame and frame insert according toclaim 30 wherein said insert is a compressible resilient material.
 32. Aframe insert for use with a frame, said frame insert comprising:1) sheetmaterial having an edge and an exterior perimeter; 2) a hollow tubularcompressible resilient covering having a slit formed therein, saidcovering slit receiving said edge ot said sheet material; 3) a hollowtubular stiffening member having a slit formed therein, said hollowtubular stiffening member contained at least substantially within saidhollow tubular compressible resilient covering and said slit of saidhollow tubular stiffening member receiving said edge of said sheetmaterial.
 33. The insert according to claim 32 further comprising aninsert contained at least substantially within said hollow tubularstiffening member.
 34. The insert according to claim 33 wherein saidinsert is a compressible resilient material.
 35. The insert according toclaim 32 wherein said sheet material is frictionally held in moveablecontact with said hollow tubular compressible resilient covering. 36.The insert according to claim 32 wherein said sheet material isfrictionally held in moveable contact with said tubular stiffeningmember.
 37. The insert according to claim 32 wherein said sheet materialis frictionally held in moveable contact with both said hollow tubularcompressible covering and said tubular stiffening member.
 38. The insertaccording to claim 37 wherein1) said sheet material is of rectangularshape with four edge sections; 2) said hollow tubular stiffening membercomprises four stiffening sections with each stiffening sectionreceiving an edge section of said sheet material; and 3) said hollowtubular compressible resilient covering comprises four hollow tubularcompressible resilient covering sections.
 39. The insert according toclaim 38 wherein said hollow tubular compressible resilient coveringsections are joined at corners of said sheet material with miteredjoints.
 40. The insert according to claim 38 further comprising hollowcorner stiffening members, said corner stiffening members having innerradial slits formed therein for receiving corners of said sheetmaterial.
 41. The insert according to claim 38 wherein said hollowcorner stiffening members slidably engage adjacent sections of saidhollow tubular stiffening member sections.
 42. The insert assemblyaccording to claim 41 further comprising an insertion and removal deviceattached to said stiffening member for inserting and removing said frameinsert from a frame.
 43. A frame insert kit for use with sheet materialto form a frame insert, said frame insert kit comprising:1) a length ofhollow tubular compressible resilient covering having a longitudinalslit formed therein, said longitudinal slit for receiving an edge ofsaid sheet material; 2) a length of a hollow tubular stiffening memberhaving a longitudinal slit formed therein, said hollow tubularstiffening member sized to be contained at least substantially withinsaid hollow tubular compressible resilient covering with saidlongitudinal slit of said hollow tubular stiffening member receivingsaid edge of said sheet material; 3) a length of insert, said insertsized to be contained at least substantially within said hollow tubularstiffening member; and 4) corner stiffening members, each cornerstiffening members having an inner radial slit formed therein forreceiving a corner of said sheet material.
 44. The frame insert kitaccording to claim 43 further comprising said sheet material.
 45. Theframe insert kit according to claim 43 further comprising an insertionand removal device.
 46. A frame insert for use with a frame, said frameinsert comprising:1) sheet material having an exterior perimeter; 2)hollow tubular stiffening member sections, each section having alongitudinal slit formed therein, said slit slidably receiving andfrictionally holding an edge of said sheet material; and 3) hollowcorner stiffening members,a) each corner stiffening member having a slitformed therein for slidably receiving and holding a corner ot said sheetmaterial; b) each corner stiffening member slidably engaging adjacenthollow tubular stiffening member sections; and 4) one or more fastenersfor fastening said stiffening member sections to a frame.
 47. The frameinsert according to 46 further comprising an insert containedsubstantially within said stiffening member sections.
 48. The frameinsert according to 46 further comprising a hollow tubular compressibleresilient covering substantially containing said hollow tubularstiffening members and said hollow corner stiffening members.
 49. Theframe insert according to 49 further comprising an insertion and removaldevice attached to at least one of said stiffening member sections.